Dry Hire Lighting Invests in Robe MegaPointes

	Ian W Brown, sales manager, Robe UK; Rob Merrilees, Dry Hire Lighting; and Josef Valchar, CEO Robe lighting s.r.o.

UK-based cross rental facility Dry Hire Lighting, based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, has invested in over 50 of Robe's popular MegaPointe moving lights ... which will be added to their already substantial stock of the Czech brand.

This is due to "general demand" states Dry Hire Lighting's Rob Merrilees explaining the reason for this latest purchase, adding that the MegaPointe has fast become a "fixture of the moment" since its launch in September 2017.

He also mentions that "reliability, quality, and minimal maintenance" has been instrumental in making Robe products a solid bet for dry rental companies, and ensured that the products are perpetually out of the warehouse ... and on the road where rental companies want them to be.

When they do need to get spare parts -- which is reportedly rare -- it's a speedy and straightforward operation. The service and support both from the factory in the Czech Republic and via the Robe UK distributor is excellent."

Dry Hire Lighting has been consistently purchasing Robe luminaires since the company was founded in 2011 with the goal of making all major brands available for cross rental and guaranteed to be meticulously maintained and prepped, as well as supplied in unbranded flightcases.

The company is run by Merrilees who is highly respected in the entertainment technology and production world. With expansive knowledge and experience, he's also known for his business savvy and trend-spotting abilities.

They have one of the largest fleets of Robe fixtures available for hire in the UK including Pointes, LEDBeam 100s, LEDWash 600s, MegaPointes, and the most recent arrival, some of the beautifully retro styled, LED source PATT 2017s.

The first Pointes, purchased shortly after the fixture was launched in 2013, have become "absolute workhorses" for the company says Merrilees, adding that "they are still going extremely well" despite being heavily and constantly in use.

Merrilees thinks there has been a rise in demand generally across all sectors for Robe products which are appearing regularly on specifications for concert tours, theatres shows, TV series' as well as special, corporate, and industrial events and presentations.

The Robe factory in Valasske Mezirici he describes as a "very impressive, slick, and streamlined operation," and he also comments on another plus point which is that Robe's CEO Josef Valchar is integrally involved with the day-to-day running of the business, and has his finger right on the pulse in terms of what users and specifiers want and need in a fixture.

"It's rare to get this kind of set up and I believe it's really paid off for Robe."

Dry Hire Lighting's first batch of MegaPointes is going straight out with the Chemical Brothers for the summer, for which the lighting equipment supplier is Blackburn-based design and rental house, Lite Alternative.

Lite Alternative has also invested in its own MegaPointes after the fixtures were spec'd onto the tour -- a mix of festivals and own headline shows which runs until the autumn -- by the band's show and production designers, Marcus Lyle and Adam Smith.